Girls' name · since 1958
Raya
8,003 babies named Raya in U.S. Social Security records since 1958, with the highest year being 2023. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,911 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #369 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,003
- born since 1958
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Raya is the #369 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 8,003 recorded since 1958.
Social Security Administration records show Raya recorded 8,003 times among girls since 1958, holding rank #369 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1958 to 2025.
- #1,911 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #369 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 8,003 born since 1958
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Raya ranks #1,911 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #369 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 8,003 born since 1958, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,911 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #369 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,003
- born since 1958
- 2020s
- peak decade
Raya's 8,003 recorded births place it above 97.35% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Raya compares
8,003 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Raya's all-time total is 21x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Raya | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,003 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 867 | 21 | 19,840 |
Raya's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Raya splits its recorded history at 1997: 94% of all births land in the more recent half, 6% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1958 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2023 peak of 867 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Raya popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1958–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 867
- Annual births at peak, across 68 years of records
Raya popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 2025 (Raya as boys' name)
Raya by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (4,256 births, 53% of the file).
2020s was Raya's strongest decade.
4,256 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 53% of all-time use.
Raya births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 1960s 16
1960s
16 births
- 1970s 64
1970s
64 births
- 1980s 138
1980s
138 births
- 1990s 385
1990s
385 births
- 2000s 1,052
2000s
1,052 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,087 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,256 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 4,256 births (53% of all-time use).
How Raya compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Raya's total volume
Raya by state
Where Raya concentrates geographically, total births since 1958
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,021 | 12.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 526 | 6.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 423 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Florida | | 370 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 307 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 281 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 279 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 229 | 2.9% |
1,021 of 8,003 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Raya appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Raya? ▼
Where does Raya sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Raya most popular? ▼
Where is Raya most popular? ▼
How long has the name Raya been used? ▼
What names are similar to Raya? ▼
What to do with Raya's data
- California records the most Rayas (1,021 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Raya
Nearby Names Like Raya
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Raya
Compare Raya side by side: Raya vs Rayna Raya vs Rayne Raya vs Ray
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Raya
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Raya: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~67 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1958–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Raya draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.